


We're One Triumphant Bang Away from Resting in Infinity

by alwaysbringbackup_03



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - No Powers, Battlestar Galactica AU, Bisexual Kara Danvers, F/F, Human Kara, Kara and Lena OOC, Kara is a royal pain in the ass, Lesbian Lena Luthor, Lex is good in this story, Mutual Pining, They're both Viper Pilots in the Galactic fleet, Why Did I Write This?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-04
Updated: 2018-03-04
Packaged: 2019-03-27 03:50:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 19,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13872498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alwaysbringbackup_03/pseuds/alwaysbringbackup_03
Summary: The SuperCorp Battlestar Galactica AU that no one thought to ask for, but everyone really needs!





	We're One Triumphant Bang Away from Resting in Infinity

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea what this is. In fact, I'm sorry for this. 
> 
> I started watching BSG again last week, and I couldn't help myself. As far as I know, no one has ever written anything like this before, and I just had to be the first. (Cause I'm an idiot and thought it could be done). Hopefully, it's not absolutely terrible. 
> 
> If it is horrible, let me know. I'll orphan the work at some point, and pretend I never even wrote this.
> 
> All of this takes place in the BSG Universe.

Kara closed her eyes for a fraction of a moment, and let out a deep breath as she flew the planned flight path out from the edge of the Galactic Fleet. She was starting to feel like she might be able to fly the entirety of the patrol with her eyes closed, but she knew that it would be wrong of her to actually try. She simply had to rest them for a moment, because her eyes were bloodshot and sore. She was also extremely tired. The movement of the stick clutched in her right hand was effortless and precise. Kara's fingers twitched against it, feeling the bird as if it were an extension of herself. Every so often the Viper would shudder as it cut through the wide-open expanse of space. For every bit of resistance she felt, Kara made a counter-move until she was sure she was back on course. Soon, her flying was nothing short of flawless.

Kara prided herself on her ability to fly a Viper. After all, she'd been called an artist in the air by practically everyone who had flown with her. And with humanity on the brink of extinction, there was no doubt that Kara was the best pilot there was.

Kara could hear the static of the Communications relay in her ears, and the white noise was just about enough to make her drift off into sleep. As she drew in another breath, Kara strained her ears. Kara was trying to remember what that the rain had sounded like as it fell back on Caprica, but for the life of her, she couldn't seem to remember. It had been a short time since Kara's visit to the irradiated planet, and yet, it had been far too long since she'd stood on its surface. It had been far too long since she'd felt the cool rain on her face.

As she thought about the place she used to call home, Kara couldn't help but remember what it had been like to walk into her apartment after a long tour of duty. For some reason, no other thought or feeling could come close to the comfort and relief that coursed through her when she walked through that door. No matter how long she'd been away - whether it be a week, a month, or a year - Kara's apartment never really stopped being her _home_. 

Much of Kara's life had been chaotic and difficult. She'd spent her early childhood years moving from place to place, from outpost to outpost, with her parents. Her parent's work required them to move frequently, often to scientific outposts on the far reaches of the Galactic territory. Because of this, it had been hard for Kara to make friends. But she never felt as if her childhood was lacking. She understood that the work her parents were doing for humanity was important and worthwhile. She valued what her family did for the Colonies. She was proud to be a member of the House of El.

Then one day, without any warning whatsoever, everything changed. From the moment of the attack on DS-21 Galactic outpost, to when she was finally adopted by the Danvers at age 12, Kara had lived out of nothing more than a suitcase. For years, Kara moved from place to place and family to family. And because of this, Kara was convinced that she would never quite belong anywhere. It didn't help that nobody ever really _wanted_ her. As far as anyone was concerned, Kara was worth nothing more than the Cubit, or the meal ticket that they could punch in her name. The Danvers were really the first and  _only_ family to ever make Kara feel wanted. From the moment very first moment Kara stepped foot in their home, they made her feel like she was a part of their own family. Kara would always be so grateful for them. Kara had grown used to living in space, and so it had been a bit of an adjustment for her, after suddenly finding herself on a planet she'd only ever read about. They'd been patient with her while she adjusted to new ways and customs. Together, they gave Kara a precious gift beyond her wildest imagining. They, and Alex, meant more to Kara than words could ever express.

It had been hard for Kara to leave home, in order to join the military, but she was determined to make sure that no one else ever had to endure the losses she had as a child. No one should ever have to watch as their only family was slaughtered before their very eyes. Now, Kara's crusade to protect those that needed protecting had taken on a whole new weight. She was one of the last defenses between what remained of humanity, and the Cylons. Now she was fighting for humanity's very survival.

Kara's apartment on Caprica was the first and only place that had ever really been _hers_. And now? Now that home was gone. Kara only wishes she could forget what it had felt like to dig through the last pieces of the life she'd left behind - a life that no longer existed since the Cylons all but wiped out humanity.

Kara shudders to think of what would have happened had she been on leave that day. She can't imagine she would have survived, if she had been on the planet while countless nukes had detonated and all but wiped out civilization. Even now, those same nukes made the last of those twelve colonies inhospitable, unsurvivable. Because of this, humanity had been forced to take to the infinite expanse. They had set out in search of the thirteenth colony, in the hopes that they might be able to regroup and rebuild. 

Kara could only hope that one day they will be able to find their way to salvation. But in order to do that, they have to survive the Cylons that are ruthlessly hunting them, first.

Kara's eyes slowly blinked open, focusing on the glow of the Radar screen in the center of her dash, once more. So far, it had been an uneventful patrol. In fact, it had been one of the most boring and uneventful to date. Kara sighed as she stole a sideways glance into Lena's cockpit. She couldn't help but wonder. What were the odds that she and Lena wound up together on the same patrol? To be honest, a large part of Kara hoped that the Captain had deliberately chosen her for company over the other pilots of the Air Group, but she also didn’t want to flatter herself. After all, Kara Zor-El wasn't a fool. She knew that such a thing probably occurred out of mere happenstance. No matter how much she wanted to, she just couldn't think that Lena would have deliberately put herself on a patrol with Kara.

Lena and Kara had been butting heads a lot these days. In fact, Kara couldn't remember the last time that they had been together without some argument sparking between them. Most of the arguments that transpired between them, were due to Kara's willfulness and a refusal to take responsibility for her actions. As Kara's Superior, and the Captain of the Air Group, it was Lena's responsibility to discipline Kara for any missteps that she made in her role as a member of the air group. One thing that Lena had quickly learned since taking leadership of the air group, is that Kara had a penchant for shirking her authority, and a knack for pushing all of Lena's buttons. Kara was a thorn in Lena's side and in the side of everyone else who was above her in the chain in command. And yet, it couldn't be denied that Kara was a hell of a soldier. She was smart, tenacious, and skilled in every way imaginable. It was just infuriating that Kara couldn't seem to understand when she took things too far.

Kara wasn't the only one to blame for their arguments, however. After all, it was often Lena who goaded Kara into her bold, defiant action. And Kara couldn't help but think that maybe Lena _wanted_  Kara to push the boundaries. It was always about the push and pull, with them.

Kara cleared her throat as she looked back to the Radar screen in her Mark II Viper. It was still clear. Kara averted her eyes in the opposite direction, as she tried to avoid looking at Lena’s Mark VII Viper again. They hadn’t talked much during this patrol, and Kara could only assume that it was because tensions were still running high from their latest squabble, in which they disagreed about whether one of Kara’s pilots should be reinstated to the fly list.

Kara had been adamant that they weren’t ready and never would be, but Lena wouldn’t hear any of it. In fact, Lena had not so kindly suggested that the trainee’s shortcomings were reflective of Kara’s inability to teach her class of rookie pilots, rather than due to the Pilot’s own lack of ability. Truthfully, the Pilots of the Air Group weren’t _all_ bad. In fact, several of Kara’s pilots had showed promise that would make them into good assets. However, just as soon as Kara saw something that she liked, they would inevitably do something that _really_ got under her skin. Kara just wished that they understood that this wasn’t some game. It was do or die out there. Kara understood this better than anyone, since she’d watched the Viper and Raptor pilots disappear one by one until their numbers dwindled. Over time, it had gotten so bad, and they had gotten so desperate, that they'd started pulling from the civilian ranks in order to fill out their ranks.

In the end, Lena had been the one to point out the real reason that Kara was so hard on the new pilots, and was so unwilling to give them a chance. _Lex_. Kara let her mind wander for just a moment as she thought about her former fiancé, Lena’s older brother, Lex Luthor. For some reason, Lex never showed the same promise and ability of his younger sister in the cockpit. Lex was determined to be a fighter pilot in order to please their father, Commander Lionel Luthor of the Battlestar Galactica, but he lacked the basic instincts that were necessary for a fighter pilot. Kara had made the mistake of passing him through basic flight, selfishly because she didn’t want Lex to feel like a failure. She still wished, more than anything, that she could go back and fix that mistake. But she couldn't. And if she was being completely honest, Kara was terrified of making it again.

The fact was, Lex might still be alive if it wasn’t for her. She knew it; Lena knew it; and Commander Luthor knew it. 

Lena had never really forgiven Kara for Lex's accident.

In the years following his untimely death, Lena had been cold and distant when it came to Kara. Kara had reached out to her on countless occasions, offering condolences and apologies. Each time, Kara's words and her gestures were met with nothing but silence. After more and more time passed without a response, Kara honestly believed that Lena would never be able to forgive her for the mistake she made, and so she gave up. She conceded defeat and she stopped trying to make amends. Then, the world had ended, and they had found themselves on the last starship in the Galactic Fleet. Because of their position within the fleet, they'd had no choice but to face their pasts - to reopen old wounds. Somehow, against all odds, they'd started healing process. Their relationship could still be considered highly contentious, but they were able to appreciate each other in ways they hadn't before. Now, Kara saw something in Lena's eyes whenever the brunette looked at he, something that hadn't been there for a really long time. She saw affection in those familiar and stunning bright green eyes. But more than that, Kara saw _hope_.

This made Kara begin her mission anew. She made every effort to repair the precious friendship between them. In the months after their reunion on the Galactica, she'd been a friend and a confidante to the younger Luthor, at a time when Lena desperately needed someone she could trust. Together, Kara had helped Lena train members of the air group. Together, they had built something they could both be proud of. And considering the horrific circumstances under which it had been done, they'd done a hell of a job in doing so. Kara had been a huge source of comfort to Lena, who'd lost her mother Lillian in the attack on Caprica.

Even so, Lena continued to be a bit reserved when it came to their personal interactions. Kara could tell that Lena was afraid to trust her again, and so she'd left much of their relationship up to Lena. She let Lena dictate what she wanted from Kara, and tried to be there in any way that Lena asked. A part of Kara knew that what happened with Lex would always be lingering in the back of Lena's mind. And no matter what she said or did, that would always be the case.

Lena had needed to blame someone for what had transpired that fateful morning, and Kara took the blame. She was a verbal punching bag for Lena on more than one occasion, and she bore that weight without flinching. After all, Kara knew she deserved to be the target of Lena's hatred. It was the price to be paid for the life that had been lost.

It had taken an ordeal that nearly cost Kara her life, in order for Lena to realize the importance and the value of what she had in front of her. Kara had crash-landed on a moon, after a group of Cylon Raiders had ambushed her and her pilots in training. She’d managed to take most of them out, but got pulled into the Moon’s gravitational pull, and couldn’t generate enough force to combat the gravitational force. The rest of the fleet had given her up for dead, but Lena and her father all but refused to give up on her. They had held out until the very moment Kara's air supply had run out.

In all honesty, Kara had thought that she was going to die on that moon. But as always, Kara was relentless and determined. In the end, as she was running out of oxygen, she forced her way inside one of the Raiders and managed to find the oxygen line.  Kara managed to find a way to start it up, and was able to join back up with the fleet.

The crushing embrace that Lena gave her, after seeing her again, made Kara think that there might be hope for them after all. Nearly losing Kara had been a hell of a wake up call for the young Luthor. She'd realized then that she still loved Kara and was only hurting herself by pushing her away.

“Hey,” Lena’s voice spoke in her ear, jostling her from her memories. “You still with me over there?”

For the first three hours of their patrol, the only words spoken between them were entirely formal. As they began to feel the effects of the last couple days, however, Kara and Lena had started a fresh dialogue, simply to keep one another from falling asleep. 

“Yeah,” Kara said finally, “You'll be happy to know that I’m still here, Sir.” 

“For the hundredth time, Supergirl, will you _please_ stop calling me _Sir_?”

“Of course, Sir,” Kara replied. She heard Lena sigh audibly. A long silence built between them, making them both slightly uncomfortable. Kara decided to take the lead.

“Selene, Supergirl here,” Kara’s voice filled the CIC, “Requesting permission to speak candidly, Sir?” 

“For crying out loud, Supergirl,” Lena spoke tetchily, “You can say whatever the _hell it is_ you want, just as long as you stop calling me Sir!” Now Lena was sure Kara was intentionally trying to drive her up a wall. 

“I just have to say that this is the most riveting CAP I’ve had to date, Sir.” The sarcasm in Kara’s voice was readily apparent. Lena quietly decided she was never going to win against Kara in a war of words, so she decided to just go with it, and do her best to amuse Kara as well.

“Is that so?” Lena asked with a hint of amusement in her voice. If you listened hard enough you could hear the slight variance in her voice as a smile tugged at her lips. “And just what about this patrol is so _riveting_ , Lieutenant?”

“It must be the fine company, Sir,” Kara said with unmistakable derision in her tone. As per usual, the jest was made with Kara’s signature deadpanned expression. Lena could hear her voice strain slightly at the end, and figured that Kara must be trying really hard not too laugh and ruin the moment. Lena tried to choke back her own chortling laughter for fear of seeming unprofessional, but ultimately failed to suppress her laughter as she looked over towards Kara’s cockpit in order to see Kara’s signature crooked smile beaming back at her. Lena cleared her throat, quickly turning to focus on the area of open space in front of her cockpit. It was nice to goof around every once and a while. However, Lena also knew there was a fine line between having fun and being professional. They were supposed to be on patrol, after all.

Lena couldn’t seem to help herself when it came to Kara. She loved the way that Kara could always turn the most boring and agonizing situations into something a little more exciting. Although it frustrated her that Kara often did it at her expense. “You know, I think you should be careful, Lieutenant.” Lena replied, “Otherwise people are going to start calling you a kiss-ass.” 

“Wouldn’t dream of it, Captain,” Kara punctuated with a laugh. “Although, you have a fine ass that would be perfect for ass-kissing, if I may say so.” After a beat she added. “Sir.”

“No, no you may not,” Lena replied sternly. “Now I’m _sure_ that you’re messing with me, Kara.”

“You know me,” Kara replied good-naturedly, “I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to messing with Superior assholes, _especially_ the ones who have a nice ass.”

“Is that so? Do tell me, Kara. Is that why you’re always messing with Colonel Henshaw? Because you think he has a nice ass?” She couldn’t seem to help herself, despite knowing Kara’s impetuous nature. She knew she could easily get it later, just for this one comment, but she couldn't stop herself from saying the words. She burst into loud boisterous laughter when she heard Kara make very distinct gagging noises over the Communication’s system.

“I think I just threw up a little, Sir,” Kara murmured. “Ugh…I have a _really_ bad taste in my mouth now. But I guess I walked right into that one, didn’t I?” 

“Indeed,” Lena laughed wholeheartedly. “Seriously, though,” she said in a conciliatory manner, “Do you _really_ _think_ I have a nice ass?”

“It’s what the Cadets say about you behind your back,” Kara answered truthfully.

“No…No,” Lena cleared her throat. She wasn’t having any of Kara’s evasiveness. Not today. “I’m not asking what the Cadets think, Lieutenant. I’m asking you what _you_ think!” Lena stressed the words. Kara swallowed a gulp of air, not prepared for this sort of response from her Superior Officer, even if they were considered “friends” outside of the cockpit.

Then again, Kara isn’t sure friends is the right word. There’d been a strange tension between them, since they’d met again on the Astral Queen. Even when they’d been mere acquaintances, there had been an undeniable attraction between them. They’d both felt it, and had to resist acting on those feelings. For Kara, it had been easy. After all, she was dating Lena’s brother and she wasn’t one to be unfaithful, no matter how strongly she might have felt for her. But for Lena, it was a completely different matter. For Lena, it was agony. For Lena it was difficult.

Lena’s feelings for Kara had been apparent from their very first meeting. This made things extremely complicated. The truth is, she felt like an awful sister for falling for her brother’s girlfriend, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. Everything about Kara Zor-El demanded attention and drew her in. Kara was warm and lively. She was vibrant, like the sun, and Lena felt drawn to her in a way she could never fully explain. It was as if Lena was a planet or a moon caught up in Kara’s gravity, and was circling closer and closer and closer on each respective pass. After Lex’s sudden and unexpected death, it took her a long time to let herself off of the hook for the things she felt for Kara. However, even now, those feelings of guilt still lingered, making Lena feel like she couldn’t make a move.

“I request permission to remain silent, Sir,” Kara replied finally, as sudden warmth spread across her neck and shoulders. “As designated by the Articles of the Colonies, I reserve the right to protect myself from self incrimination.”

“Mmm,” Lena replied with a forlorn sigh. “I’m well aware of the Articles of the Colonies, Lieutenant,” she replied bemusedly. “However, I see no need for your subterfuge. I was simply asking to fulfill my own personal curiosity.” 

“I’m afraid that any reply I have to that question would be considered highly inappropriate and extremely unprofessional, Captain.” Kara replied. “Let me just say that there aren’t a lot of Superior Officers that I consider to have an appealing nature. The truth is, I only like to mess with the really cute ones…” This time it was Lena’s turn to feel put off. An aggressive blush crept onto her cheeks and she was glad it was hidden from Kara, by her helmet. 

“Good to know you feel that way, Lieutenant,” Lena responded. “Wish I could say that I felt the same way about you…” She acted as if the words pained her, but they both knew that it was complete bullshit. 

“Frak you!” was all Kara had to say in return. 

They did this all the time. I’m mainly referring to the not so subtle flirtation, and the relentless teasing. Sometimes they were both itching for a fight. They would often try to goad each other into an altercation, one that involved some sort of physical contact. And yet, other times they acted like the best of friends, with a warm camaraderie between them. They frequently threw things at one another, stole each other’s things, and then started the cycle all over again.

There were also rare instances when they both allowed themselves to talk about the memories they shared. Most of these memories involved Lex and the summer they spent together on Caprica while Lena was in War College. Kara was a flight instructor at Delphi Air Base, and at the time Lex was one of her up and coming students. Of course, most of the memories they shared during this time were bittersweet. Lex and Kara were happily dating and had fallen into what seemed like a perfect and stable relationship. And Lena, Lena was busy trying to find a girlfriend that wasn’t entirely insane.

Of course, one of the main reasons Lena had such a problem in finding someone, was that they all seemed to find some sort of a fault in Kara. It didn’t help that she and Lena had a very unconventional and playful friendship. Lena knew now that they must have been jealous of their effortless banter, and their perceived closeness. Lena had felt such a genuine fondness for Kara, that she just couldn't bear to hide it. Kara was like a sister to her. Or rather, that’s what Lena told herself. Of course, now that she'd had a lot of time to reflect upon her feelings, Lena knew that she hadn’t been entirely honest with herself. She had always felt an attraction to Kara that was not remotely sisterly. Hell, now that she was being completely honest with herself, she had to admit that she’d felt something for her the very first time they crossed paths at the Academy. Lena can't help but think back to that very first meeting.

_Kara was a new recruit, a pilot who was already becoming notorious for her skill in the cockpit._

_Over the course of her time at the Acadamy, Lena had watched Kara’s name start to replace all of those on the record’s wall. In the months leading up to their first meeting, Lena had frequently heard Kara’s name pop up in conversation. And every time, she found herself listening in. From what she gathered through these interactions, Kara Zor-El was a force to be reckoned with. She was one of the best pilots that had ever lived. Only, instead of flying up the ranks like Lena knew she very well could have, Kara seemed to be determined to hinder her own progress in any way she knew how._

_The first time Lena had laid eyes on her, she had known there something was different about Kara Zor-El. Lena had been performing maintenance on a ship in the hanger to pass some time, and had heard a deckhand calling to one of his friends._

_“Supergirl is at it again!” he exclaimed happily, “Hey, guys, you’re going to want to see this!” At first, Lena was determined not to pay her any mind. She figured that Kara was already getting enough attention, as it was. But as Lena lay under her bird, tinkering away, she couldn’t seem to squander her own curiosity. Finally, with a resigned sigh, she pushed herself out from underneath her flyer and jogged towards the front of the hanger, joining the crowd as she decided to finally see what all of the ruckus was about. As she reached the hanger door, she threw up her arm to block out the harsh rays of the sun. She squinted along with a dozen or so others, trying to find her bird against the contrast of the blue and purple sky behind it. Finally, she found it._

_Lena was instantly entranced as she watched Kara's bird streak effortlessly through the sky. She was performing maneuvers that Lena had only ever dreamt about, and Lena couldn’t help but feel as if she were in awe of her. Lena watched her fly for minutes on end, not caring about any of her other responsibilities. Lena just couldn’t help but feel as if she were witnessing something extraordinary, or rather, something that she knew she couldn’t expect to see again._

_Lena stood there for the rest of Kara’s time in the air. She watched her land and taxi into the hanger. It was then and only then that Lena went back to her Viper, watching from afar as Kara's bird finally came to a stop. She could hear bursts of raucous applause, as deckhands greeted Kara with whistles and cheers. Lena couldn’t look away as the cockpit seal was broken and Kara pushed herself into an upright position, while releasing the clasps on her helmet. Lena watched as she pulled off her helmet and shook out her drenched, tousled blonde locks. Lena hadn’t meant to stare, but she found herself unable to look away as Kara happily bounded down the ladder to the hanger deck. Lena chuckled under her breath as Kara faked a bow, with her helmet still tucked carefully under one arm. She then preceded to waltz around while giving each of the deckhands an exuberant high five. Lena stared without breathing, just watching her. Kara Zor-El was the most beautiful woman that Lena had ever laid eyes on. There was just something about her. Kara radiated joy and energy, in a way that Lena had never seen someone do before._

_Kara laughed at something Jimmy Olson said, and Lena’s heart stopped as it echoed off of the hanger walls. Kara’s laughter was quirky, but beautiful. It tugged at Lena’s heartstrings in a way that Lena was unprepared for. God, Kara was something truly beautiful to behold. Lena watched as Kara handed off her helmet and then reached up to unzip her jumpsuit. Kara swiftly pulled her arms out of its sleeves then pulled it down around her waist. Lena gulped over the sudden lump in her throat as she laid eyes on Kara’s bare arms._

_Even from halfway across the hanger, Lena could see the bulge of the muscles in Kara’s upper arms. Underneath her flight suit, Kara was wearing a set of tanks that were now completely drenched through, but Kara seemed completely unbothered by it. Lena swallowed, nearly choking on the obstruction in her throat as Kara lifted the bottom of her tank up to her face, in order to wipe the excess sweat from her eyes. Lena was suddenly left with zero doubt. Kara Zor-El was a flawless human being. She could see the outline of Kara’s abs, and Lena quickly realized that Kara was flexing - likely in order to give the rest of those in the hanger a show._

_Lena watched as countless other male Cadets began to fawn over her, in a way that Lena refused to fawn over someone (no matter how exquisite Kara was)._

_Lena felt a spike of horror, as Kara unexpectedly looked in her direction. Lena tried to pretend she hadn’t been staring, but Kara knew better. Her icy blue eyes refused to let Lena off the hook that easily. Kara held Lena’s steely green gaze, and Lena silently determined that this so called Supergirl was anything but shy. She decided to swallow her pride and introduce herself to her. With purposeful strides, Lena waltzed across the hanger and headed straight towards her. She watched Kara with both curiosity and bemusement._

_Of course, Kara Zor-El knew exactly who Lena Luthor was. After all, Lena’s reputation preceded her. From what Kara understood, Lena Luthor was a clean cut and by the book type of soldier. She was entirely different from her brother, Lex, who was neither a challenger of authority, nor a soldier that kept his nose completely clean. From what Kara understood, Lena was a skilled pilot and was fast on her way to becoming something more. Fast-tracked was what they called it. Kara Zor-El was typically not one for authorities, but in this rare instance, she sought to make a good impression. She saluted the beautiful woman as she approached. Actually, stunningly beautiful was a more appropriate assessment of Lena Luthor._

_“At ease, soldier,” Lena said softly, her sparkling green eyes holding Kara’s crystalline blue ones._

_“Lieutenant,” Kara replied with a beaming smile, as her hand dropped to her side and she instantly relaxed._

_“That was a fine bit of flying, if I may say so,” Lena complimented her softly. “I don’t think we’ve met, I’m Lena Luthor.”_

_“Oh, I know who you are, Sir,” Kara replied with some restraint. She didn’t want to be too informal or disrespectful. “I know your older brother Lex. We’re dating.”_

_“Wait a minute,” Lena was flabbergasted, “You’re **Kara**? Lex’s Kara?”_

_“I am,” Kara laughed, “I’m Kara Zor-El. Pleased to meet you, Sir.”_

_“So you’re the one who is wiping out all of my records,” Lena found herself teasing. This surprised her - how easy it was to talk to her. Usually, Lena was guarded, and purely professional when talking to others, but there was something about the beautiful blonde standing in front of her that made her want to drop all pretenses._

_“I promise that I meant no disrespect by it, Sir,” Kara replied in return, her eyes twinkling playfully._

_“None taken,” Lena replied. “That being said… I was wondering if you’d like to fly with me sometime. You could teach me some of those maneuvers. Or, at the very least, I’d like to challenge you to a friendly competition in the simulators. It seems as if I haven’t learned all the tricks in the book yet, and I hear you’re pretty good in the cockpit.” Kara arched her brow, feeling a flush work its way up her neck. Kara thought she’d squashed that rumor a long time ago, but it would appear she'd been mistaken._

_Lena suddenly realized what she’d said and instantly sputtered. “I mean…Well, umm…I think you know what I mean.”_

_"You'd like to challenge me to a competition," Kara stated with a wry glint in her eyes._

_"Yes."_

_“I thought that you said you'd seen me fly?” Kara asked quietly, her eyes darting away from Lena’s face._ _The implication that Lena was insane for suggesting such a thing lingered between them for a few moments._

_“Oh I have,” Lena laughed, “And after seeing you fly, I can't help but think that maybe I'm a tad bit masochistic for suggesting such a thing. But I guess what I was really **trying** to say, is that I’d like you to be my wingman - err wingwoman - sometime.”_

_“Oh! Of course! Just say the word, Lieutenant, and I’ll be there,” Kara replied. Lena watched as Kara’s gaze darted down to her military issue watch. She lifted her wrist up to her face and dropped it quickly back to her side. “Pardon me. I - I don’t mean to be rude, Sir,” Kara spoke calmly, “But I really must be going. I have to teach a flight course across the base in less than fifteen minutes.”_

_“Oh! Of course,” Lena replied, “I didn’t mean to keep you.”_

_“It’s no problem,” Kara smiled warmly at her, and Lena felt her stomach do a strange flip. Oh god, she had it bad. “It’s been an honor to meet you.”_

_“The honor was mine, Supergirl,” Lena assured her._

_“I’ll uh... I'll see you around?” Kara asked hopefully, though she was careful not to sound too eager. She quickly caught herself, as she nearly choked on the air in her lungs. “Sir,” she sputtered out just in time. Judging by the way that the Lieutenant carried herself, Kara knew that she deserved the utmost respect. Lena carried herself with restraint, but did so in earnest._

_“Sure thing,” Lena replied while struggling not to seem too eager herself. She offered Kara her hand and the blonde haired beauty took it in hers, giving it a decisive shake. Then Kara was gone, hustling towards the exit. Lena could hear her military issued boots thudding on the concrete floor, as Kara sprinted across the hanger at breakneck speed. Lena stared after her, and watched her disappear through the exit. It wasn’t until the door slammed shut behind Kara, that Lena was able to let out the breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding._

_“I am in so much trouble,” Lena breathed to herself as she felt the stirrings of something warm in her chest. She knew she had it bad. “Why couldn’t Lex have fallen for someone else - **anyone** else? Fuck!”_

_Of course, at that point Lena hadn’t realized what she was getting into. She hadn’t realized just how much Kara liked to upset the status quo. If Kara had her way, she would be the death of her._

_It seemed like the more they got to know one another, and the closer they became, the more that Kara liked to stir up trouble in order to get some sort of a rise from Lena._

_Lena found that who Kara was in her everyday life was fairly close to that of her reputation. After all, Kara was notorious for mouthing off to her superiors, and she liked to challenge authority. But it was what Lena saw in her eyes that intrigued her the most. Lena found herself wanting to know more about Kara Zor-El. And the more she learned about her, the more she wanted to know. It wasn’t until they spent the summer together on Caprica that Kara had started to open up to her._

_Lex was all too happy to tell Lena more about Kara, too._ _If it wasn’t for him, Lena isn’t sure that she ever would have learned that Kara Zor-El was an orphan._

_Apparently, Kara’s parents had been killed in an attack on an outpost that was located on the edge of the twelve colonies, and she’d wound up being adopted by a family on Caprica when she was thirteen. Lex, as it happened, was also the one to tell her that Kara was brilliant - a certified genius. In fact, Kara could have easily chosen any profession she wished. But in the end, Kara’s love of flying had taken precedent over everything else. She’d joined the military and had never looked back._

_Lex knew tons of other factoids about Kara, and Lena often grilled him for more. The more she learned about her, the more her feelings grew._

_When they were apart, Lena found herself thinking of Kara. Lena thought about her untamed light blonde hair, her light blue eyes, her laugh, and her beaming, unreserved smiles. Despite her attraction, Lena couldn’t bring herself to act on those feelings. After all, even then she had been too focused on her own career to allow herself the luxury of a woman. If only she had known the course their relationship would take, she would have acted._

_Lena felt guilty. She shouldn’t love Kara. She shouldn’t want her so much, but the more she tried to fight her feelings, the more helpless she became. Lena didn’t know how to admit it, but she had always been somewhat jealous of what Kara and her older brother had. It was always so effortless, so perfect. They rarely ever fought, and they could laugh off almost anything. She didn’t know if it was Lex’s laid back nature, or Kara’s ability to make everything seem so humorous, but during the Summer they spent together on Caprica, their relationship had seemed nothing short of perfect. Lex had always been a bit shy, but Kara brought him out of his shell in a way that Lena had never seen before. That summer, Lena_ _had had the time of her life. Even now, Lena looked back on that time with genuine fondness._

 _Lena and Kara often laughed about how chaotic those months on Caprica had been._ _Lex’s lightweight tendencies when it came to drinking shots of Ambrosia, had gotten them into trouble on more than one occasion._   _They had come close to getting arrested on several different occasions, but somehow Kara had always managed to spare Lena from the worst of it. Lena was still proud of her special ability to scrape through those situations without suffering some sort of stain on her service record, while on the other hand Kara took pride in all of the demerits and all of the stints she took in the brig._

“You wish,” Lena spoke into her Communication's system. She couldn’t help but wonder what kinds of reactions that the CIC would have to their playful dialogue, but they usually let things rest. She could only hope that her father wasn't listening, as Lena was sure her father would see it as being unprofessional. In all fairness, however, Lena and Kara did take their responsibilities quite seriously. “Seven hours down, one to go,” Lena announced happily. Kara let out a groan, followed by a loud yawn.

For a long moment, Kara simply closed her eyes. They ached from being open for so long and were slightly bloodshot. They’d dried out long ago. “You still awake over there, Supergirl.”

“Mmmhmm,” Kara hummed again, opening her eyes. “Yeah, I’m here.” 

“Stay vigilant over there, Lieutenant,” she encouraged. “We’ve still got lots of things left to do on this patrol.”

“Permission to ask a question, Captain?” Supergirl’s voice crackled through Lena’s cockpit.

“Granted,” Lena relented finally.

“How is it you’re always so energetic, sir?” Kara asked in a serious tone. “Because I must say I’d that much rather be in my bunk sleeping, sir,” Kara breathed. “Not that I don’t enjoy your company so very _very_ much.”

Lena replied with a grin of his own. “It’s good to know you value sleep much more than the company of your Superior Officer, or rather, your Superior Asshole as you call it.”

“I aim to please, Sir,” Supergirl replied, with an over-the-top salute aimed Lena's way.. “But hey, don’t feel too bad. There isn’t much of anything that I value over sleep at the moment. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve gotten some rack time.”

“No offense taken, Kara,” Lena replied honestly, feeling the fatigue herself. “I’d very much like to get some shut eye myself.”

“Wanna share a bunk?” Kara asked with a wink. Lena threw her head back and laughed.

“Are you really offering? Or are you just messing with me again, Kara?” Lena asked softly. She wasn’t about to mention just how tempting such an offer was, especially since she’d been experiencing frequent nightmares, and despite the presence of her father, Lena was starting to feel incredibly lonely as of late.

“I’ll let you decide the answer to that question,” Kara replied carefully.

“Galactica, this is Selene,” Lena’s voice filled the bridge, “How are we looking?” Lena swallowed as she waited for Maggie Sawyer to reply. She swore under her breath as an alarm started going off on her dash. She looked down to her Radar in order to see that at least three Cylon Raiders were incoming. So much for a boring, uneventful, CAP. She blamed Kara for jinxing them. 

“Selene, this is Galactica,” Maggie’s voice filled her ear, “We’ve got three enemy contacts on Radar.” A pause, a crackle of interference, and then Maggie’s panicked voice spoke again. “Make that eight enemy contacts. I _repeat_ , eight enemy contacts.” Eight Cylon Raiders. _Frak._ They were extremely outnumbered, four to one. “Prepare to intercept and engage enemy.”

Kara and Lena listened as Commander Luthor’s voice came over comms, "Action stations, action stations. Set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill."

“Roger, Command. Preparing to engage enemy contacts,” Lena breathed.

“Engage. Weapons free,” Maggie’s voice ordered. 

“Weapons free! Engaging hostiles,” Lena announced as they quickly intercepted the streamline of the Cylon Raiders. “Let’s knock them out from the sky, alright Supergirl?”

“Roger that, Sir,” Kara replied. “Engaging enemy contacts.” Kara activated the thrusters, flying close to Lena’s right wing. If they were going to make it out of this they were going to have to try to stay together. As they neared the approaching Raider combat formation, Kara peeled off to the right, trying to coax one of the leading Raiders into following her. Luckily, it took the bait. She performed one of her signature maneuvers and managed to put it in her crosshairs. She fired while anxiously biting down on her lip. Her aim was true.

“Splash one!” Kara exclaimed victoriously as the Raider was reduced to little more than flying debris. The fireball was like a light show for Kara’s aching eyes. She’d been up for over 40 hours now.

“Ugh,” Kara grumbled as another Raider immediately took its place. “This is just frakking great! Why did this stuff always have to happen while _I_ am on patrol? It just figures…”

“Next time, I’ll tell the Lords of Kobol not to attack while we’re out on patrol,” Lena joked.

“Could you?” Kara replied in a hopeful childish voice, “Because I’m getting really frakking tired of fighting what seems to be an endless trail of flying toasters.” Kara took a deep breath. “Or better yet, how about you ask the Lords of Kobol to stop the fraking Cylons from attacking us altogether? Oh wait… Nevermind. I’ve already tried that.” 

Kara had run two five hour CAPs, otherwise known as Combat Air Patrols already, and it just figured that they would get attacked during her last patrol. This was the last CAP Kara was scheduled for before she would ultimately get to take some much-needed R&R. After all, even the pilots of the fleet who were used to pushing their bodies and minds to the limits, could only get by without sleep for so long before they started making costly rookie mistakes. She pulled up on the stick as another Raider came in.

“That’s two,” Lena’s voice crackled over the radio. He sounded pleased. “Watch it, Supergirl! Looks like you’ve got two closing in on your right wing. Kara looped around trying to catch sight of the two fighters Lena had spotted on her tail. As she banked her Viper and rolled into the turn, she could finally see the two fighters that were on her. She let out a sharp breath as a third joined in on the fun, tailing her. She let out a hiss of frustration as she lost sight of Lena’s position during the course of her maneuver. She tried to use her spatial reasoning to best discern where Lena’s Mark VII Viper was, but couldn’t get a feel for where she was. She no longer felt safe. She and her wingman had been pulled apart and they were still quite outnumbered. It was time to put on the pressure.

“Frak,” Kara swore. “Galactica, we’re easy prey out here on our own. Where are the alert fighters?”

“Supergirl, this is Galactica actual,” Lena could hear her father’s voice over the crackle of his transmitter. “Alert fighters are away. Their ETA is five minutes.” 

“We might not have five minutes,” Lena’s clipped tone spoke into the Comm’s system.

Beads of sweat collected on Kara’s face as she struggled to figure out what to do next. She had three fraking Raiders on her at once and was lucky she hadn’t already got one of her wings blown off. With absolute concentration she weaved back and forth, dodging fire. She decided that it was time to play a game of chicken and see just how far these Raiders were willing to go. While dodging fire from the Raider on her tail, she banked hard left. Lena watched in amazement as Kara executed a flawless barrel roll over the enemy ship to her left and pulled up hard as she slipped underneath. Using her throttle, Kara cut most of the power to her engines and sharply pulled up. She was slightly behind and underneath the Raider now. She lifted the nose of the Viper ever so slightly and started firing. It didn’t take long for her ammunition to hit the underside of the Raider and penetrate through to the fuel tanks. The Raider exploded into a large fireball. This time she was close enough to the blast to feel the vibration in her hull. She held on with all her might, in order to combat the G-forces. 

“Splash three!” She hardly missed a beat, though, before she was intersecting the path of the Raider to her right. The Cylon Raider to her right had no choice but to evade Kara. Kara smiled as the raider did exactly what she wanted it to do and space opened up before her. That particular Raider was never the intended the target. Using the newfound space, Kara feigned a turn and reversed her pattern. Her abdominal muscles strained as she tried to combat the G-forces she was working against. Her peripheral vision narrowed slightly, but in a couple of blinks, the blood came rushing back to her head and her senses were clear again. She smiled when the Raider on her tail fell for the trick. It didn’t even know what hit it. “Make that four. Four down four to go.” Kara swallowed. “How you doing over there, Sir?”

Lena’s jaw was gritted against itself, as she took fire from another two Raiders. She’d just managed to kill one of them. “I’ve gotten another one,” Lena spoke. “But I’m under fire. Where are those fraking alert fighters?” Lena lost her concentration for a moment and let out a yell as her Viper lurched in the air. The smoke told her immediately that she’d been hit and that there was damage.

“Galactica, Selene here,” Lena tried to say calmly, “We’ve got a problem. I’ve been hit. I’ve lost one of my engines and can’t perform basic maneuvers.” Lena struggled to get her viper to respond in kind to her commands, but it was of no use. “Frak, I’m dead in the water. I _repeat_ , I’m losing power,” she hissed loudly. Beads of sweat started to pool on Lena’s forehead and streak down her face, as she grew more and more distressed. There was nothing she could do. 

“We’re fraked,” Kara replied, “I can’t shake the Raider on my tail.” Kara let out a deep breath, hoping to calm her pounding heart. She could feel pure adrenaline coursing through her veins as she altered her course, weaving back and forth to escape the relentless barrage of the Raider behind her. She couldn’t let anything happen to Lena. As much as she infuriated her sometimes, Lena was her Wingwoman and best friend, and she honestly couldn’t imagine what she would become if anything ever happened to her. The truth was, she didn’t know how to be Kara without her. She’d grown so used to leaning on her over the course of their time on the Galactica. She already lost her once, well, twice if you count what happened after Colonial Day. “Hang in, I’m coming for you, Selene.”

_The Colonial Day celebration hadn’t gone how either of them had anticipated. That night, Kara had pulled out all of the stops. She’d even gone so far as to put on a dress and make-up. And for those of you that know Kara Zor-El, this was a nearly once in a lifetime occurrence. She had done it all for Lena, of course. She'd hoped that Lena would act on her attraction, and finally give into her feelings for Kara. Lena hadn’t. Kara had danced with her, while hoping that Lena would take her home with her. But no, Lena gave her up the first chance she’d had. Hell, she’d practically given her over to Mon-fraking-El._

_Feeling Lena’s rejection, Kara had allowed herself to get absolutely trashed. Kara still couldn’t remember how many shots of Ambrosia she’d taken that night, but she knows that she'd nearly consumed a whole bottle's worth. All Kara knew is that she woke up in bed with Mon-El, with the hangover of a lifetime. And as if things couldn’t get any worse, Lena had blown up at her after the fact, insinuating that Kara was unworthy of her. Lena had made her feel like shit just because she was jealous and couldn’t make up her own mind about what she wanted._

_“No,” Kara spat at her, her jaw still throbbing from where Lena had struck her. “You don’t get to do that. You don’t get to call me loose just because **you** can’t figure out what in the hell it is that you want from me.” Kara was still seeing red. “You’re the one with the problem here, Lee, not **me**.”_

_“That’s not what I…” Lena tried to argue in return._

_“Yes, it is!” Kara yelled angrily. “And don’t you **dare** try to deny it.” Lena stared at her, her eyes wide as she too rubbed at the spot where Kara had hit her. “I’m not daft, Lena. For Lords’ sake, I put on a fraking dress for you. I put on make-up, stupidly hoping that you would make a move. But you? You just left me there.” Lena opened her mouth to speak, but couldn’t force a reply. Gods, she felt like a fraking idiot._

_“Kara…” Lena’s voice was soft and apologetic._

_“Don’t. Don’t you dare try and give me some half-assed apology right now,” Kara was on the verge of tears now. “Frak! What does it even matter?” Kara swallowed. “As if I could ever be good enough for you, anyway.”_

_“Kara,” Lena tried again, her own chest aching unbearably with pain. Just seeing the hurt in Kara’s eyes was enough to make her heart rip in two. Lena had done this. With her words and her actions, she had ruined everything. And it was all because Lena was too much of a fraking coward. If anyone didn’t deserve Kara, it was Lena._

_“I’m sorry,” Kara cut her off. “But I can’t do this anymore, Lena. I just can’t. So please… Let’s just forget it.” Lena ran a hand over her face, wincing as she watched Kara flee from the hanger. She’d wanted to push the issue, she had wanted to force Kara to talk about it, but before they could resolve any of their issues, Kara was vanishing before her eyes in a Raider bound for the remnants of Caprica. Kara was back on Caprica as chaos broke out in the entire fleet._

_When Kara finally reappeared before Lena’s eyes on the Astral Queen - very much okay, very much alive - Lena had hugged her tight and had given her an impulsive kiss. Afterwards Kara had looked at her with nothing short of surprise. After all, Kara clearly had not been expecting any sort of affection from her. But Lena had missed her so much that she couldn’t help herself._

_Lena could tell that there was something different about Kara. Perhaps something had happened to her while she was on Caprica that left her a changed person, but she knew better than to expect that Kara would open up to her about it. Kara rarely, if ever, shared her feelings, and she certainly did not do so when she was mad._

_Lena had apologized then, and had told Kara that she was there if Kara ever wanted to talk. She hoped this would be the encouragement that Kara needed to open up to her, or at the very least, that Kara would be willing to talk about what had happened before she left. However, Lena got nothing but closed lips in return. In a last ditch effort, Lena had told Kara  she loved her. But again, Kara hadn't been very receptive to what Lena had been trying to say. She'd taken Lena's words to be a joke. Kara quickly teased Lena about it, saying that she wasn’t allowed any “take backs.” To this day, Kara hadn’t let her live it down._

“Supergirl, this is Reign,” a third voice entered into the mix, “I’m approaching. Repeat. I’m on approach. I see you now.”

“Engage enemy fighters,” Kara instructed, “See if you can get the one on my tail. I need to lose it fast. And then we need to get rid of these fraking fliers. Lee’s dead in the water.”

“Roger that, Supergirl,” Sam replied, “Let me see if I can’t get rid of your problem for you.” Kara weaved back and forth through the air, trying to shake her tail. She gritted her jaw, and tightened her grip over the stick. 

“Come on, come on,” she chanted. Lena was hardly avoiding the fire as the eighth raider approached her at high speed. 

Lena cursed over and over again under her breath, as she continued to get little response from her Mark VII Viper. She knew that she was going to have to cut the power, and try to restart it, but that left her extremely vulnerable to attack.

“Selene, Supergirl, this is Galactica,” Maggie’s voice filled all three vipers. “We’ve got two more on Dradis. I repeat. You have two more raiders incoming.” 

“You’ve got to be kidding,” Kara bit out, her voice sharp. She was definitely not happy. “You’re fraking with us, right? Please tell me it’s some kind of joke.”

“No joke, Supergirl. Hold tight,” Maggie urged, “We’re sending reinforcements as we speak.”

“Good to know,” Supergirl snapped. “We’ll likely be dead before they get here.” Lena squeezed her eyes shut for a moment. She couldn’t help but feel as if Kara had a point. But they had no choice but to make the best of it. She, Kara, and Sam were now the only ones that stood between five raiders and the rest of the fleet. And now, Lena was a sitting duck. Hell, she might as well have a big bulls eye on her bird, or a sign that said _‘Come and get me!’_

“I agree with Supergirl. We might not last two more minutes,” Lena choked out, her hands tightening on the controls. She watched as the second group of Cylons grew closer and closer. 

Luckily, the one thing that they could all count on was that Kara never quit. Even when the odds seemed to be stacked against her she never gave up. She pulled a sharp turn, purposefully altering her course so that she flew across Sam’s nose. Sam was ready for Kara and fired, wiping the raider that was tailing her from existence.

“Splash six,” Sam spoke into her comms. She, too, sounded a little pleased with herself. “Four more flying toasters to go.” 

“Thanks. That was a good one, Reign,” Kara praised, before taking a deep breath. “Alright,” Kara swallowed while glancing briefly over towards Lena’s Mark VII. “Looks like it’s going to be you and me on this one. We need to draw the other Raiders off of Lee. I want you to form up on my starboard. Stay tight to my side. We’re going to engage the other two approaching Raiders, while allowing the other two to tail us.”

“That sounds like fun,” Sam commented, before swallowing over her suddenly parched throat.

“I know it sounds like a suicide mission,” Kara found herself replying, “But we’ve got to keep them occupied until reinforcements get here.”

“In that case, let’s do it,” Sam responded.

“Okay,” Supergirl breathed tensely as she took lead, “We’re going to have to split them up and pick em’ off.” 

“Read you loud and clear,” Sam replied. Together they managed to draw the other Raiders off of Lena.

“Sit tight, Lee,” Kara breathed into her Comm. “We’ll come back for you. I promise.” Lena let out a sigh of frustration and relief. She hated more than anything that she was helpless to do anything. Lena should be cleaning up, and wiping the sky with the Cylon Raiders, but instead, Kara had needed to bail her out. Finally, with a growl Lena cut the power to her viper, before trying to start it up again. It was a slow process, but she managed to get the power back, along with some maneuverability. It wasn’t pretty or easy, but she’d be able to fly and evade attack. 

“Supergirl, Reign,” Lena breathed, “Good news! I’ve got power, and minimal maneuverability, but I won’t be able to out-run anyone.”

Kara and Sam flew straight for the approaching two raiders. “Alright,” Kara instructed, “You take the one on the right, and I’m going left. Hopefully, the new friends on our tail will stick with me, but who knows what they’ll do.”

She banked hard left, and was happy to see that one of the raiders was following her close because it meant that Lena wasn’t in any immanent danger. Although, it meant that she was. Kara took a deep breath as she prepared to perform one of her most difficult maneuvers, but she wasn’t about to waste any time. She locked her jaw and pulled hard on the joystick in her hands. Her hand was in a vice grip around it. “Lords of Kobol, please let this work,” She pleaded. “Come on, baby,” she talked to her Viper, “Don’t let me down now.” She let out a whoop of excitement as it worked. The Raider was put to rest, as she let out a burst of fire and the raider spiraled through space before ultimately vanishing in a large fireball. “Splash seven,” Kara announced happily. Though her excitement was short lived when she heard Sam’s voice over her Comms.

“Frak,” Sam’s curse had Kara instantly aware that something was wrong. “I’ve lost one. The Raider on my tail must have slipped away.”

“Reign, it’s Supergirl,” she muttered. “I’m going to try and help Lee. You’re on your own.” Kara swore when she realized that Sam was right. One of the Raiders had slipped by and was headed straight for Lena. Instinctively, she pulled her best-known maneuver, flipping the Mark II end over end until she was facing the complete opposite direction. Without missing a beat, she pushed her Viper to its limits, catapulting herself back in Lena’s direction. She fired, but couldn’t find her mark. The Cylon Raider had quite a lead on her, and was good at evading her gunfire She knew it was going to be close, and in all frankness, she wasn’t sure she was going to make it in time. 

“Supergirl,” Lena’s voice crackled over her radio. “I’ve got a Raider approaching fast. Frak, they’re headed right towards me.” Then. “I’ve got some engine power, but not enough to out-run them!”

“Hang tight,” Kara replied urgently. “I’m coming!” Kara pushed the viper’s engines to their limits, pulling another maneuver that left her heart thumping out of control as she started to pick up more speed. Her stomach did a series of somersaults and finally sank as she realized there was no time. After all, she had two Raiders to worry about, the one in front of her that was about to attack Lena, and the one on her tail. No matter what scenarios she worked in her head, she couldn’t see a way to get rid of them both in the time that was allotted to her. She had to save Lena somehow, but at the same time, she realized all of her efforts were going to be wasted. By the time she was close enough to take care of the Cylon Raider in front of her and reach Lena’s immobile vessel, it would be impossible for her to change direction quickly enough to get a clear shot off before the second Raider attacked her or Lena. Her hands started to shake as she realized exactly what she had to do to save her. She had to get in-between the second Raider and Lena’s Viper. She had to use the Viper itself as a weapon and a shield, and it was easily going to be the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. The Chief might very well kill her for scrapping one of his birds, but she saw no other way. And keeping their CAG alive was definitely more important than losing a bird. Kara stopped breathing, as she focused on getting to where she knew she had to be. Sweat started collecting on her forehead, and continued trickling down the side of her face. She blinked several times as sweat dripped into her eyes and made them sting. She could only hope that Lena wouldn’t know what it was she was about to do. Otherwise she knew that Lena might very well try to stop her. She was close now, so close she could practically see it all happening in her mind’s eye before any of it actually played out. Inch by inch she started to gain on the raider in front of her. She silently willed her Mark II to go a little faster.

“Come on… Almost there,” Kara spoke into the empty cockpit around her. “Don’t fail me now, girl.”

Lena had flipped her bird, in order to face the incoming Cylon. She decided that she had a much better chance of survival if she could engage the enemy. But now, what she saw scared her half to death. 

“What in the hell do you think you are doing, Supergirl?” Lena’s panicked voice crackled over Kara’s radio. “You’re coming in too fast!”

Kara put the Raider in front of her in her sights and fired. A few bursts came from her Mark II Viper, and the Raider in front of her was toast (no pun intended). Lena could now see her flying straight for her at full speed. “Supergirl, what the _frak_ are you doing?” Kara ignored her, knowing that she had to focus. She had to time it just right. She had to pull up sharply, and cut the engines. “Kara! For Gods’ sakes, talk to me!”

“What does it look like I’m doing?” Kara’s slightly sarcastic voice replied. “I believe I’m saving your ass, Captain,” Kara was still teasing when she said, “You can thank me for it later.” 

“Supergirl, No!” Lena yelled as she struggled to do anything to stop her. Then. “Didn’t you hear me earlier? I’ve got engines and power!”

“Frak,” Kara hissed, as she tried to cut the engines. But she still retained too much speed.

“I need you to trust me. I know what I’m doing, Lee,” Kara said imperturbably. 

“Stand down, Lieutenant,” Lena nearly shouted. Kara continued to race towards her. She refused to let up. She had to cut down the angle between Lena and the Raider as much as possible to ensure Lena’s Viper didn’t get hit. “I said stand down! That’s an order!” Bursts of fire came from one of Lena’s wings, but the incoming Raider easily evaded it. Lena had a much harder time avoiding its fire than the Cylon did, hers.

Kara breathed calmly into the mic in her helmet, “As you know, I have never been very good at taking orders, Sir.” Lena couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t do anything as the Viper grew so close to her that it was within a hair’s breadth of her.

Lena’s body seized up in fear. She could only watch as Kara’s Viper grew even closer. She was close enough now that she could make out the series of numbers painted across Kara’s wings. The Raider had just started firing when Supergirl’s Mark II Viper swooped upwards into the line of fire, blocking Lena from its destruction. The Raider was coming in fast, and refused to pull up.

"Kara! _Please_! Please don't do this!" Lena shouted into her mic, begging Kara to pull up. "For frak's sake, pull up!" Kara didn’t listen. 

Being a fighter pilot or jock has its difficulties and necessary skills. Kara was always said to have a natural affinity or a gift for flying that no one else possessed. Her hands and the rest of her body always seemed to be connected to the machine. She felt everything as surely as if it were an extension of her own body. One of the things that made her such a great pilot was that she had the best reflexes in all of the fleet. Whether it was performing basic maneuvers or acting out some of the most difficult tricks known to man, she always had the upper hand. In this instance, she knew it would mean life or death. Kara squirmed in her seat as she sped towards Lena’s fighter. She lifted one hand off the stick and reached down. She started flipping switches in rapid succession. Then, she moved her hand back to the stick.

It was over in a second, really. She struggled with the G-forces, trying to set it all up just right. In the end it wouldn’t matter. She knew there was a good chance that she would take fire before she managed to pull up and out of the way of the Raider. In the end, it was always just about making a sacrifice, her bird for Lena’s. She didn’t know why she felt so strongly compelled. Perhaps it was her love for Lena that made her do it, or the Lords of Kobol that compelled her. The fact was, she knew that Lena was more important to their cause. Kara let out a scream as she pulled up with all her might. In the mean time, ammunition rounds from the Cylon Raider pelted her Viper.

While fighting the G-forces to the brink of consciousness, Kara let out a cry as she wrestled with the stick and felt pain rip through her body in nauseating waves. Kara returned fire, spraying a barrage of rounds in the Raider's direction, while silently hoping she could hit her mark. She was still screaming, as the cockpit seal was broken and air rushed out into outer space. By the skin of her teeth, she missed colliding with the Cylon Raider. It was over in the blink of an eye. There was a flash of blinding light, and then there was nothing left of the Raider. Lena jumped in her seat, fighting against her restraints as she struggled not to lose sight of Kara in the darkness of space. She craned her neck, looking for any sign of her. 

Straining against her restraints in the now seemingly infinitesimal space of her cockpit, Lena looked out towards the port side of her aircraft. Her heart stopped as an object of a fairly significant size flew over her cockpit and was carried out into the wide-open expanse of space. It took some squinting and a small amount of time for Lena to discern that the object was in fact Kara’s cockpit cover. Lena noted the sizable debris field. But for the life of her, she couldn't tell if the debris was from the Raider or Kara's Viper. She prayed it was the former.

“Supergirl!” she shouted. “Kara, are you okay?! Do you read me?” Lena was gasping for air, praying with the Lord's of Kobol that she had escaped greater harm. “Kara?” Her eyes followed what was left of Kara’s Viper until it moved beyond her peripheral vision. “Frak!” Lena, who found herself on the verge of tears, feared that she was going to lose Kara in the broad expanse of space around them. 

“Galactica,” she spoke into her Communications device. “I’ve lost Supergirl. I repeat! I’ve lost visual contact with Supergirl.” Lena swallowed, her voice nearly breaking under the weight of her own panic and despair. “She’s not responding to my calls.”

The Combat Information Center was deathly silent. Lt. Schott had been the first one to see Kara’s Viper disappear from Dradis. At first he thought it was some kind of error, but when it didn’t reappear he’d been forced to announce it to the rest of the officers, including Commander Luthor. They needed to prepare themselves for the fact that maybe, just maybe, that there was no error. When Lena’s voice filled the CIC, there was not any doubt that the information was accurate. Maggie Sawyer kept trying to establish communications with Lt. Zor-El. 

“Lt. Zor-El, this is Galactica,” she stated in as even a voice as she could muster, “Do you read me?” She repeated it every minute like a mantra. She was desperately trying to keep her own emotions at bay, but for every minute that went by, it got more and more difficult to do. “Supergirl, Galactica. Can you transmit your position? Kara, do you read me?"

“Kara!” Lena screamed as she writhed in her cockpit seat. “Gods damn-it, Kara, answer me!” Then. “Kara, please!”

“Lords, Lena, relax,” Kara’s breathy voice crackled into her ear. “I - I'm okay. I’m still in one piece.” Then. “Galactica, I’m heading back now.”

Her breaths came in labored rasps as the ghostly silence of space threatened to swallow her whole. The only sound she could hear was that of her own breathing. As Kara listened with heightened intensity, she quickly realized that there was another sound too - a loud hissing. It didn’t take her long to figure out what the source of the sound was. Somehow, the barrier between her and the brutal environment of space had been breached. Kara let out a moan as a sharp pain flared in her torso. She looked down to see a large hole in the fabric of her flight suit, and red...lots and lots of red. This discovery had two explanations. The first was obvious. It was clear that she hadn’t avoided all of the Raider’s fire. The second was that said round had punched a hole through her flight suit, making it look as if it were as thin and malleable as a piece of aluminum.

“Well, frak,” she breathed, as she reached down to fumble with the pressure gauge on her sleeve.

“Kara, why do you sound out of breath?” Lena asked worriedly.

Another groan escaped her lips as she reached down to the hole in her suit, prodding and covering it with her gloved hand. She hissed in pain as the felt the sharp burning of a white-hot iron at her side. She gingerly pulled her glove away, discovering the thick, gelatinous, and crimson substance. She winced at its implications. It was blood, her blood. It was her source of life, seeping out onto the panels of her cockpit. Kara was in deep trouble.

“That isn’t good,” she whispered without thinking.

“What isn’t good?” Lena’s voice was all too frantic. “Kara? What isn’t good?” She waited what seemed to be an infinite amount of time for Kara to answer.

"Uh..." Kara struggled to think. She could only hope she was convincing when she said, "Nothing. This is...fine. Everything's fine."

"Kara, I swear on everything that is holy, don't you _dare_  lie to me right now!" Lena threatened.

“Lords, don’t be so damned excitable, Lee,” Kara chastised her. “It’s just… my suit... is leaking oxygen, and I don’t... have a seal... on my cockpit. I’m…” She wasn’t about to admit she was having a hard time putting two words together. Words formed languorously in her mind, and on her tongue. “I’m – I’m heading in!”

“Hang on!” she ordered her. “I’ll fly your wing.”

“I…I can’t wait,” Kara rasped as she forced her hand back to the joystick, and set a course for home. “There’s no time.”

A shiver rocketed up her spine. A fresh series of shivers forced her body to convulse in a seemingly endless string of spasms. Her vision went in and out, making it hard for her to prepare the landing. There was nothing she could do. The best she could hope for was that she’d be able to make the trap. But the chances of that were low, and the chances her bird would come apart were high. If she lost consciousness, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to know that she was going to die. Kara closed her eyes and prayed that the Lords of Kobol would help her through this. When Kara opened her eyes again, she discovered with utmost surprise that she was close to the hangar bay. She was suddenly cleared for approach.

Her lungs seemed to be on fire, and she couldn’t breathe. Kara gritted her jaw, as the pain flared. She tried to keep her eyes open, but it was no use. She wasn’t sure it was worth fighting anymore. And if she was being honest, she wasn’t as afraid as she thought she’d be in this situation. In the end it was peaceful. The things she saw as her life was waning into its final seconds were beautiful. It was full of transcendent images that warmed and welcomed her. Kara blinked slowly, whispering a few last words. With a final rasping breath Kara let go, her eyes fluttering closed.

The next thirty seconds were filled with chaos. Lena heard alarms blaring through the CIC, as Kara missed the trap and crashed into the deck. Lena's breathing grew erratic and frantic as she heard members of the crew shouting to one another over Comm's.

“Galactica, this is Selene,” Lena’s voice was thick with emotion. “I request permission to speak with the Commander on a private channel.” 

Maggie announced apprehensively. “Lena would like to speak to the Commander.”

“Put her through,” Lionel breathed as he picked up the phone on the bridge with a trembling hand. He put the phone to his ear, took a deep breath, and spoke with a level voice, “This is Galactica actual.” 

“What’s going on?” Lena’s voice was strained. “I heard Kara missed the trap on approach! She never misses!” 

“The medical team is on its way now. I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything,” Lionel said calmly, before trying to change the subject. “You mentioned you’d taken fire. Can you make it back?” 

“I’ve got minimal power,” Lena admitted. “I’m pretty sure that I have enough power to make it back to Galactica on my own, but it would be nice to have an escort back to Galactica, just in case.”

“A Raptor is already on its way to you,” Lionel sighed.

Lena managed to choke out. “Tell the SAR team to hurry!”

“Galactica, this is medical team 1,” Alex’s voice interjected through the Comm’s system. “We have a visual on Supergirl. I repeat. We have a visual on Supergirl. We have her with us now.”

Lena could hear them progress from one protocol to the next. A minute or so ticked by as they tried to extricate Kara from the cockpit.

Lena couldn’t help but count in her head. Time itself seemed to stop as she waited for the medical team to relay what they knew. She waited without breathing to hear if Kara was alive. Her heart stopped as she listened to the rapid exchange over Comms.

“Galactica, this is medical team, we have recovered Supergirl and are on our way to Lifestation now.”

“This is Galactica,” Commander Luthor’s voice was transmitted over air space. “What’s her status?”

“I’m afraid that her flight suit was breached at some point, sir,” Alex reported. “She looks like she’s been deprived of oxygen. So far we’ve haven’t been able to get any vitals. We’re working on her now, Commander.”

“Do everything you can to get her back,” Lionel ordered sternly, though Lena could hear an audible quaver in his voice. “Do whatever you have to do!” 

“Yes, sir,” Lena’s face scrunched up as she was broadsided by some of the most intense emotions she’d ever had to face. Despite her best efforts not to let Kara into the recesses of her heart, she had failed miserably. Her constant teasing of Lena’s feelings had only done more to increase their intensity.

“Selene, this is Raptor 3, I’m here to tow you back to Galactica,” Lena reached up to her helmet and saluted, grateful for the help. She hoped that he could make it back in a timely fashion. 

“Selene, here,” she replied. “It’s good to see you. I’m grateful for the help.” Lena was forced to sit back and wait the long minutes it took to get back to Galactica. She felt like she was going insane. The second they lurched to a stop on the hanger deck, she was releasing herself from the restraints and was trying to pop the catch on her helmet. She growled as she fumbled with the catches. A hiss sounded as the seal around the cockpit was broken and the canopy opened.

“Get this fraking thing off of me!” she growled as she pulled at her helmet. 

“Just a minute! Please hold still, Sir,” one of the deckhands instructed, as he took pity on her. Finally, the last buckle was released and Lena’s helmet was free of her. She pushed herself up and out, shaking out the water from her hair as she bounded down the ladder. She freed the casing from around her neck and tossed it into someone’s hands before she started sprinting for Lifestation. 

When she sprinted into Lifestation, she could hear the commotion from behind the curtains.

“Come on, Kara,” she heard Dr. Eliza Danvers speak loudly, “Don’t you dare give up on me now!”

Lena took a deep breath and threw back the curtain, completely unprepared for what she was about to see. She choked on the air in her lungs as she found herself looking at Kara’s motionless body. She hardly recognized her. Kara’s damp hair fell haphazardly on the pillow. She had a nasty contusion to her head, but that seemed to be the least of Eliza Danvers’ worries. Without thinking, Lena reached out for Kara and brushed the hair away from her face. The darkened blonde hair seemed to contrast wildly with the blue tinge of Kara’s skin, but It took a long time for it to sink in. Kara’s lips were blue. Lena swallowed. Her hands started shaking as she watched Dr. Danvers push down on Kara’s chest over and over again. Both hands were curled up into a large fist that centered over the midline of Kara’s chest. Lena watched helplessly as the Doctor seemingly put all of her weight into each compression. Lena could see a sweat begin to break out on the well-defined planes of her face. Kara’s body was buried underneath a mountain of blankets, but Kara still looked as if she were freezing cold.

“Sir,” one of the nurses spoke as she tried to pull Lena away from Kara’s side. “You need to step back.”

“What’s going on?” she asked as she resisted their efforts. Lena’s voice sounded completely unlike her own, as she spoke. It was thick with all of the things that she couldn’t bring herself to say. She didn’t know how to feel. At the moment, she felt numb, but it was only because she was so desperate to feel nothing at all. Lena watched Kara’s chest rise and fall, and for a moment she was hopeful. It took a moment for her to realize that Kara's chest was only rising because she was on a ventilator. “What are her injuries? What condition is she in?” Lena grilled Alex, as she rushed over. She continued to ask questions faster than Kara’s adoptive sister could answer them. She decided to start with the most important information.

“She’s asystolic,” she replied, “Meaning her heart isn’t currently beating.” Lena’s own heart stopped as the news sank in. “She has a piece of steel from her fighter jet lodged in her lower left abdominal cavity, severe internal bleeding, and a concussion.” Lena nodded, struggling to swallow over the obstruction in her throat.

“At the present she is also suffering from hypoxia, but we're trying to fix that,” one of the trauma specialists answered.

“I don’t understand,” Lena choked out, while running a hand over her jaw in anguish. “She was in her suit, wasn’t she?” 

“Yes, but both her helmet and her flight suit were damaged at some point,” Alex replied.

“How?” Lena breathed softly.

“Well,” she replied. “We're assuming that the breach occured after a round penetrated the cockpit and caused it to explosively decompress. The piece of shrapnel in her abdomen, left a puncture at least a centimeter and a half in diameter in her suit.”

"That's why she sounded out of breath," Lena whispered, "She was suffocating - trying to breathe oxygen that wasn't there." 

“Yeah," Alex nodded, "Almost immediately after her suit was punctured, Kara would have run out of oxygen. The good news is that the cold might have slowed her body’s cellular processes enough to prevent any serious damage that would have occurred from a lack of oxygen. We’re currently trying to slowly warm her body temperature back up. We figure that if we can get her body temperature to return to within the normal range that we might be lucky enough to be able to get her heart started again.”

“What’s her temperature at now?” Lena asked, before swallowing over the large lump in her throat. She felt like she was on the brink of getting sick. It was hard to accept anything she was hearing or seeing. She couldn’t seem to process it all at once. 

“Eighty degrees, Sir,” she replied quietly.

“Lords,” Lena muttered aloud. She swallowed and walked back over to Kara’s side. Lena saw Kara's hand over the blankets, and took it in hers. It felt like ice compared to Lena's warm, flushed skin. “Come on, Kara,” she breathed aloud. “Don’t give up on me now. You’re the strongest person I know. You can fight this. You have to fight. _Please_!” Dr. Danvers continued to perform compressions on Kara’s chest. Lena tried to tune everyone else out as she bent forwards and planted a kiss to Kara’s forehead. “I don’t know how I’m supposed to exist in a universe without you in it,” Lena confessed to her in a whisper, “Please don’t leave me, Kara.”

* * *

 

The next hours were easily the longest of Lena’s life. Commander Luthor, President Grant, and Lena all kept a vigil at Kara’s bedside despite the fact that Dr. Danvers had told them to leave on several different occasions. However, the good Doctor eventually seemed to understand that none of them were going to go  _anywhere_. Slowly, they watched as the temperature on the monitor crept up degree by degree. Unit after unit of blood was hung, trying to sustain Kara long enough for her to make it to surgery. Unfortunately, surgery wasn’t even an option until they could get her heart started again.

Lena did not let go of Kara’s hand. Every so often she’d bring it to her lips. She didn’t care that her father was watching. Lena owed Kara her life and she wasn’t ashamed to show her feelings for her. She knew that her father loved Kara like a daughter himself, so she could only hope that he wouldn't fault her for displays of affection. Lena could only imagine that if Kara ever found out about Lena’s actions that she would never let her live it down.

As they waited, Lena found herself going back in time, to the very first moment Kara walked into her life. She could remember wanting to know exactly who it was who was breaking all of her flight records at the academy. Of course, nothing could have prepared her for the spitfire otherwise known as Kara Zor-El - Danvers. Kara was an enigma. She was a force to be reckoned with. She'd seen and experienced many horrific things in her life. And yet, Kara could be so carefree and whimsical that it took Lena’s breath away. Lena wanted nothing more than to be surprised, and over the course of their unpredictable friendship, Kara had never once failed to surprise her. Kara made her laugh like no other person Lena knew. Kara was strong, independent, but Lena suspected that she could be equally vulnerable when she let her guard down.

“Okay,” Dr. Danvers’ voice had him jumping back to the present. “I think we’re ready to try and get a heartbeat.”

“Are you sure?” Lena’s father voiced, seemingly reading Lena’s own thoughts. After all, it seemed like they only had one shot at this. Lena still couldn’t face the possibility that they might be unsuccessful.

“As sure as I’ll ever be,” Eliza replied strongly. “I recommend that you leave if you don’t think you can handle it.”

“I’m not leaving,” Lena replied sternly. “If it were me here, she wouldn’t leave.” Commander Luthor nodded, agreeing to Lena’s sentiment. Lionel cared for Kara as if she were his own. He'd loved her like a daughter, from the very first moment Lex had brought her home for the first time. 

“Alright,” Dr. Danvers grumbled. “I’m sorry, Sweetheart, but you’re going to have to let go of her hand and step back. All of you.” Lena swallowed, giving the hand in hers one last brush of her lips before she set it back on the bed. They were all forced to step back as Dr. Danvers charged the paddles in her hands. 

“Charge to 300,” She ordered Alex. Lena could hear the whine of the machine as it charged. “Clear.” Lena jumped as Dr. Danvers brought the paddles down on Kara’s chest. It shot up in the air before falling back to the mattress. Lena listened for some sort of response. Her stomach fell as nothing happened. “No response. Charge again. Charge to 360,” Dr. Danvers ordered. Lena held her breath, saying another prayer to the Lords of Kobol. She started to bargain with them to spare her, offering them anything she could. “Clear.” Lena raised a hand to her mouth as she waited. She squeezed her eyes shut, unable to see the harm done to Kara’s body.

“Nothing, Sir,” a voice filled the air as silence rained over Lifestation. Lena nearly fell to her knees. Her legs felt as if they might give out on her at any moment. Lena forced herself to look at Kara. She looked so peaceful; In fact, she looked as if she could easily be sleeping. Lena watched as Dr. Danvers started a fresh series of compressions. 

“Come on, Kara,” Lena was surprised to hear her father’s voice boom throughout the room. Within the next minute, a single beep filled the room around them. Lena saw a spike on the monitor. 

“We’ve got a single twitch contraction,” Alex exclaimed excitedly.

“Charge again,” Dr. Danvers ordered. “Clear.” Lena ground her teeth together as one final charge was administered to Kara’s chest. The moment that followed seemed to drag out forever. Together, all of those in the room stared at the monitor, waiting for some kind of miracle. Lena felt her eyes start to burn as moments ticked by and there was no change. She was about to turn away when another sound echoed through the room around him, then another and another.

“Pulse is 40 and rising,” Lena let out a shaky breath and stepped forwards. “We’re up to 70. Pulse is steady.”

“Thank the Gods,” Cat Grant spoke.

“That’s my girl,” Lena’s father spoke, sounding like a proud father.

“Good girl,” Lena breathed, her lips twitching into a smile. “Thank you,” she whispered to Kara. 

“Yes,” Dr. Danvers smiled. “It’s good! We’ve got her back, but we’re still not out of the woods yet. We’ve got the trauma to think about yet. She also has some sort of a head injury. I need to take her for a CT scan as soon as she's stabilized.” 

“She’s in good hands,” Lionel spoke. “I trust you’ll tell me as soon as anything changes. For now, however, I must get back to the bridge.”

“Of course,” Dr. Danvers replied, “The second anything changes, you’ll know.”

“Thanks, Doc,” Commander Luthor spoke with a wan smile. Lena held her breath as her father turned towards her.

“You’re relieved of duty for the rest of the day, Captain,” Lena’s father spoke, “I trust that you’ll take good care of her for me.”

“Yes, Sir,” Lena replied. She let out a gasp of surprise as her father pulled her into his arms and gave her a rib-crushing hug. Lena hugged him back in return, closing her eyes. She buried her face in her father’s shoulder and accepted the comfort that her father had to give.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Lena,” her father confessed in a whisper that only Lena could hear. As they pulled away, Lena cleared her throat, and hastily wiped away the tears that threatened to escape. She watched her father go without another word. 

“Alright! Let’s get her to CT now,” Dr. Danvers spoke to her team.

“Can I go with?” Lena asked in a cracked voice. She couldn’t bear the thought of letting Kara out of his sight. 

“I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here,” Eliza replied, looking at Lena with a hint of love and affection in her eyes. She was gentle, in a way that Kara wasn’t. “But I’ll have her back here before you know it.” Lena nodded, watching as one of the techs put the railings up on the bed, and then rushed her down the small corridor. When they were out of sight, Lena allowed herself to collapse into a chair. Her head dropped into her hands and she let herself feel everything for the first time in the long hours since she’d watched Kara’s Viper take fire before her very eyes. Her shoulders started to shake, as she fought back tears of relief and despair while her breaths came in large rasps. She wasn’t prepared to feel the gentle, but hesitant touch upon her shoulder. She felt her cheeks turn red, and took a deep calming breath as she finally lifted her face from her hands in order to meet the sympathetic gaze of Cat Grant staring back at her. 

“You love her, don’t you?” she asked softly. “Actually, don’t bother answering that. I think the way you greeted her on the Astral Queen spoke for itself.” 

“I’m sorry, Madam President,” Lena apologized. “I don’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Nonsense,” Cat spoke with a wave of a hand. “You don’t need to apologize for anything, Captain. I can tell that she means a lot to you.” She paused to take a deep breath. “I think that after what you’ve been through today, you have a right to be emotional. It’s good to know that our soldiers are human, after all.” Lena’s lips twitched in a smile.

“Was there ever any doubt?” Lena asked, while meeting her eyes.

“No, Captain,” she smiled. “I don’t know if I’ve ever expressed this aloud, but I’m extremely honored to have someone like you standing behind me.” She gave Lena’s shoulder one last squeeze. “I should really be getting back to Colonial One. Please keep me posted as to Kara’s condition. She means a lot to me, as well. Did I ever tell you that she saved my life?”

"Uhh... No," Lena sputtered, "She - She did?"

"Yeah," Cat nodded. Lena couldn't believe it.

"She took a bullet for me at a press conference a few years ago. I was only the Secretary of Education at the time, but she was still willing to give her own life to protect mine," Cat told her softly. "Didn't you ever wonder where she got that scar on her shoulder?"

"Yes," Lena admitted, "In fact, I asked her about it once. But when I asked her about it, she said..."

"That she'd gotten it on Colonial Day. She was goofing around with some fireworks and wound up shooting herself with a bottle rocket," Cat laughed, "Yeah, I've heard that one too."

"It's funny," Cat said knowingly. "You would think she could have come up with a better story, considering her high level of intelligence, but no... She had to come up with the most absurd and far-fetched story imaginable. She's a terrible liar." Lena nodded. She was in a fair amount of shock. Even when she was sure she had Kara all figured out, the blonde did something to astound her.

"I know what people say about her behind her back. I know that a lot of people wonder if she has any business being a soldier, given her predilection for shirking authority. But Kara really _does_ _care_ about what she does, and the people that she protects," Cat says quietly. "You know, I practically offered her the world, if only she would just come work for me. But of course, she flat-out refused. She said that the work she was doing was too important."

"She did?" Lena's voice cracked under the weight of the emotions that surged through her as a result. 

"Yes," Cat nodded. "Although I have a another theory of why she might have wanted to stay on the Galactica."

"Which is?"

"She cares about you too," Cat told her, "And she didn't want to leave you." Lena opened her mouth to protest, but Cat held up a hand. "Don't try to deny it. I've seen the way she looks at you, too." 

"Ma'am," Siobhan's voice interrupted politely. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but we've got that meeting to get to."

"Right," Cat nodded. "Sorry, but I must be going," she told Lena. "Do make sure to let me know how she's doing."

“Of course,” Lena replied. “Thank you, Madam President.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Cat returned with a miniature salute. Lena watched as she disappeared through the hatch, with Siobhan in her wake. Lena closed her eyes and let out a deep breath. As long as the day had been so far, she had a feeling that it was far from over.

Lena stood up as they returned Kara to her place between the curtains. Dr. Danvers looked grim as she entered. She was making notes in her chart when Lena approached him. 

“How is she?” Lena asked quietly, her hands tightly wound behind her back. Her shoulders were held in a line typical of standing at attention. It was the best way she knew to keep her stress and breathing under control.

“Not good, I’m afraid,” the doctor replied honestly. “The abdominal trauma can only be remedied with surgery. Her blood pressure is all over the place, but I can’t operate on her until her body temperature is restored to normal.” 

“So we have to wait and see if she’ll pull through on her own?” Lena asked in a somewhat small voice.

“Precisely,” Dr. Danvers replied. “It’s a delicate balance.” 

“How long until we know?” Lena asked again, her voice slightly wavering.

“I’m afraid I can’t really answer that,” she sighed in frustration. “We just have to wait and see.” Lena nodded, letting out a deep breath of her own, in frustration. She shouldn’t have to do this on her own. And yet, Lena knew that there was nothing anyone could do. 

“I’m going to give her some painkillers and sedatives,” Dr. Danvers informed her. “She’s got several broken ribs on her right side. I want her to be as comfortable as possible. And right now, she can use all the energy and strength she has left. We just have to let the body start healing.” Lena pretended that she understood everything the doctor was talking about. All she really needed to know was that Kara had a lot of substantial injuries, any of which that could lead to death. Lena could only hope that she was strong enough to pull through, because she didn’t know how she would deal with it if she never saw her beautiful blue eyes again. 

Hours passed, and yet Lena didn’t move from her place at her side. Slowly, her color came back. Kara was still a deathly pale, but at least she wasn’t blue. Every so often Lena brushed her hand over her cheek, whispering to her. She talked to her the only way she knew how. She recalled most of her memories; talked about Lex, and many of the shenanigans they’d put each other through on Galactica. 

She was unprepared for the moan that escaped from Kara’s lips. Lena jumped nearly a foot in the air and stood up, leaning over her.

“Kara,” she breathed, brushing her hand over Kara’s before she took it tightly in her hand. “Kara, it’s Lena. I’m here. Can you hear me?” Lena saw Kara’s lips part and her eyelids flicker, but she didn’t wake.” Lena called for help, and they whisked her away for another CT scan. 

“Good news,” Dr. Danvers announced as she brought her back. “The swelling has already gone down. She could wake up any moment now.” Lena swallowed, her heart beating erratically in her chest. It was good news to say the least. Lena stayed with her, calling her father to come down. Lena was waiting, when it happened. Kara moved, a guttural moan filled the air around her and her eyes blinked open. Her eyes were glassy, and at first she didn’t seem to see her. It was like Kara was staring at her, but it didn’t register.

“Kara?” Lena’s voice was small as she waited for her to respond. “Kara, it’s me, Lena.”

“Ugh,” Kara moaned again, trying to move. Immediately she seemed to discover that this was a bad idea. “Frak,” Kara hissed. 

“How are you feeling?” Lena asked softly, while brushing her thumb over her cheek. 

“Like I drank a whole fraking bottle of tequila and got one killer hangover as a result.” Kara whispered before squeezing her eyes shut. She opened them again, and met Lena's vibrant, earth-like eyes staring back at her. Lena let out a breath of relief, as Kara seemed to notice her for the first time.

“Yeah,” Lena breathed, “I know it hurts. I’m sorry.” Kara let out another moan and turned her head from side to side as she struggled to escape the amount of pain she was in. Surely anything would be better than lying still. Her body felt like it was on fire. 

“Easy. Easy there, Kara,” Lena chided softly. “I know it hurts, but you need to hold still.” Kara finally stopped writhing as Lena brushed the hair from her face. She held Lena’s gaze.

“Lee?” she breathed in a small voice. 

“Yeah. I’m right here,” she spoke again.

“Where am I?” she asked as she closed her eyes. 

“Lifestation. We’re aboard the Galactica,” Lena informed her. She let that fact sink in for a moment, before she asked the question that had been burning in her mind for what seems like days, “Kara, just what in the Frak were you thinking?”

“I – I can’t remember,” she replied honestly. Lena had no choice but to believe her. After all, Kara looked unbelievably confused.

“You could have gotten yourself killed,” Lena lectured, feeling overly frustrated. ”Are you out of your fraking mind? Pulling something like what you pulled…”

“Lena, you didn’t honestly think I was just going to let you die, did you?” Kara shot back. Sweat was starting to pool over her skin with the exertion of breathing. The pain was enough to drive her insane.

“What gives you the right to make that choice?” Lena said angrily. “What makes me any more important? Why do I have to be the one that’s left behind? I…I can’t do it on my own, Kara. I need you here.”

“Frak, Lena,” Kara muttered, “You’re the fraking, CAG. What was I supposed to do?” Kara gritted her teeth together and growled. “I don’t think you realize how much I _really_ don’t want a promotion… All that responsibility? You and I both know that I’d wring the necks of half of the Air-Group within a week.”

“What you’re supposed to do is follow the orders of your Superior Officer,” Lena shot back, “Whether you like what they are or not!” 

“Frankly, I'm not inclined to agree with you, _Captain.”_ Kara hissed, “All I know, is that I wasn’t about to be responsible for _your_ death too. I figured at the very least, I owed it to Lex _and_  to your father to make sure you made it back alive. And seeing as how I thought it was in my power to do so, I did _exactly_ that. If you have a problem with that, then you're going to have to deal with it.”

“Gods, I really hate you sometimes,” Lena spoke without thinking. 

“What else is new?” Kara muttered back. 

“You’re impossible…” Lena said angrily, his fists tightening at her sides. “Sometimes I think it would be better if you just…”

“I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you, Captain,” her father’s voice cut in harshly, not allowing herself to finish the statement. 

“Commander!” Lena exclaimed in surprise as she whirled around to face her father. 

“Take a walk,” Lionel Luthor’s voice left no room for argument. “Come back when you’ve calmed down.”

“I was just trying to say that I disagreed with her choices, Sir,” Lena tried to defend herself.

“That’s not what it sounded like to me,” Lionel argued. “Now take a walk! And in case you haven’t figured it out yet, that’s an order!” Lena opened her mouth to speak, but this time, she managed to control her impulses. She swallowed, stole one last fleeting look at Kara, and fled Lifestation.

Kara squeezed her eyes shut, struggling to breathe evenly as she pulled herself back together. Her eyes opened as she felt the gentle touch of Lionel’s hand on her forehead. He leaned forwards to brush his lips against the clammy skin of Kara’s forehead.

“What do you hear, Supergirl?” Commander Luthor spoke softly. 

“Nothing but the rain and the din of the machines, Sir,” Kara replied with concentration. She was feeling completely exhausted. “When can I get out of here?”

“I’m afraid you’re going to be stuck here for a while,” Lionel spoke softly. Kara took a deep breath, closing her eyes. “They’re going to have to take you into surgery.”

“Ugh, really?” Kara groaned.

“Well,” Commander Luthor chuckled, “Unless you want that piece of scrapmetal in your side to become a permanent fixture, then yeah… you need surgery.” Kara took a deep staggered breath, trying to get enough oxygen. Her head felt so heavy and she was having immense difficulty organizing her thoughts. It was like she was stuck in some sort of fog.

“Thank you,” the two words were spoken so quietly that Kara almost missed them. But when she opened her eyes, it was clear that Lionel Luthor had in fact spoken the words to her.

“I was just doing my duty, Sir,” Kara said softly.

“You and I both know you did much more than that,” Commander Luthor spoke gratefully. “I’m indebted to you.”

“I owed you one,” Kara said honestly. Lionel Luthor felt his heart squeeze painfully in his chest. Of course, he knew that the guilt over Lex’s death still weighed heavily upon Kara. He knew she still blamed herself for it, but knew that it had to end somewhere.

“How about we call it even, Lieutenant?” Lionel Luthor asked. Kara opened her mouth to speak, but her voice caught.

“Sure,” she choked out. “We’ll call it ev-” He watched as her eyes fluttered close and alarms started blaring all around him. Dr. Danvers came rushing in, her attention on the monitors that surrounded her.

“Her BP is falling, she’s hypotensive,” she announced. “She needs surgery now. Her temperature is still below normal, but it’ll have to do…”

“Then do it,” Lionel said evenly. Dr. Danvers nodded, gathered her team and rushed Kara for the functional operating room.

It took Lena a long time to calm down. And by the time she returned to lifestation, Kara was already gone. She asked a nurse about her whereabouts and was informed that she had been rushed into surgery after her blood pressure tanked. Lena paced back and forth in Lifestation, waiting for some sort of news. She was inconsolable, thinking about her last words to her and what she had implied. It was moments like this that she felt like a hopeless screw up. Why couldn’t Lena ever do anything right? 

Hours later, Kara was returned to Lifestation, looking on the brink of death. Several pints of blood were hung to try and offset her blood loss. Hours ticked by before Lena saw any sign of life.

“Come on, Kara,” Lena pleaded with her softly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it. You know I didn’t mean it. Gods, I can never say anything right. Please don’t do this to me. I know I’m a screw-up, but I love you. _Please_. Please don’t give up on me now. The fleet needs you.” Lena tried not to choke up as she added. “I…I need you. I mean, who else am I going to throw things at if you’re not here?” Lena swallowed thickly, fighting back tears that made her eyes burn. She looked down at the bleached floors, as she ran her thumb over the top of Kara’s hand. 

“Oh Lords, don’t you dare start crying on me,” a raspy voice had Lena’s eyes shooting up from the floor, “Cause I don’t think I can handle your hormones right now, Lee.” Lena could hardly believe it as she met the glazed looking blue eyes of her Lieutenant. Kara rolled her eyes at her.

“Shut up,” Lena shot back, although a smile was already tugging at her lips. 

“Yeah…yeah,” Kara groaned, “Well, I’m sure you’ll be disappointed to know that I’m going to pull through after all.”

“Frak, Kara,” Lena breathed. “You honestly think I’m disappointed? I’m just so glad that you’re going to be okay.”

“Oh Lords,” Kara said softly. “Please tell me that you’re not going to try and tell me you love me again,” Kara said with a teasing glint in her eyes. 

“Frak you!”

“You wish,” she shot back with her signature smile.

“Yeah? Well, maybe I _do_ wish for that,” Lena said boldly. “What do you have to say about that, Kara?” 

"I'd say that you're almost certainly messing with me," Kara told her. "Though I suppose that I deserve that."

"No," Lena swallowed thickly. "I...I'm not messing with you, Kara. I swear it."

"You're not?" Kara looked surprised.

"No, I'm being completely serious right now. I - I really do wish for that. I really do wish for you! More than you could ever know."

"I don't understand,” Kara spoke weakly. "What - What's changed?"

"Nothing," Lena replied, "Nothing has changed. I've felt this way for a long time."

"But you've never acknowledged it, Lena. Like _ever,"_ Kara spoke in a weak voice, "I've been waiting for you to admit how you've felt for eons, but you've never once _let yourself feel it_."

"I know," Lena admitted, "I know. It's just... Well, it's complicated, Kara. I think you know that more than anyone. I mean... who would've thought I'd fall for Lex's fiancé?"

"At some point, you have to stop feeling guilty for caring about me, Lee. Contrary to what you think, it doesn’t make you a horrible person.”

“Lex-“

“Lex would have wanted you to be happy,” Kara sighed. “Besides, I don’t think he would ever really hold your feelings against you. He couldn’t resist me either.” 

“Ugh,” Lena groaned as she stood up. “You're so full of yourself! Why do I even bother?”

“Because you _love_ me,” Kara replied.

"And of course you're never going to let me live that one down," Lena told her with a laugh.

"Nope," Kara told her with a bright smile.

“I obviously shouldn’t have come here,” She let out an exasperated sigh.

“Aww, come on,” Kara replied. “I saved your ass, remember? The least you can do is entertain me for a while.”

"I'd entertain you, but what you really need right now is some rest."

"But this is so much more fun," Kara protested. She gave Lena her signature pout, but Lena wouldn't be dissuaded from doing what she knew to be the right thing.

“I’ll be back later,” Lena announced finally as she started heading for the door.

“No take backs, remember?” Kara hollered after Lena, with her heart thundering away in her chest. She couldn’t help but smile happily as Lena stole one last look at her and then walked away, shaking her head. She could tell that Lena was laughing from the way her shoulders bobbed up and down ever so slightly. 

The next awareness Kara had was of Lena chatting with her father, asking him to give her another day’s leave.

“I can’t leave her,” Lena spoke under her breath. “I owe her my life. I don’t want to-”

“Of course, Lena. You know that you need only ask,” Lionel replied, “Take another day. It might be tough, but somehow we’ll manage to get by without you.”

“Thanks, Daddy,” Lena told him, before she hung up the phone and turned back towards the bed. When she saw Kara was awake, she gave her a soft smile, before she stepped closer to the bed.

“Hi,” She breathed, as she leant down over Kara’s reclined form and brushed a hand over Kara’s cheek. 

“Hi,” Kara breathed back. “Listen, Lena, I wanted to apolo-“ Kara’s next words were cut off by the press of Lena’s lips against her own. Kara’s eyes fluttered shut, as she was suddenly drowned in sensation. Their kiss on the Astral Queen had been nice, but it hadn’t been anything like this. This felt so perfect, so right. It felt like finally coming home after a long journey. Lena’s lips were soft, softer than Kara could have ever imagined. And she _had_ imagined it, many _many_ times over the years. Feebly, Kara reached up to the sides of Lena’s face, holding it in her hands as she kissed Lena back. Lena’s cheeks were warm compared to her icy hands, and Lena shivered. Kara moaned as she felt Lena’s tongue beg entrance into her mouth. Kara pushed herself up as much as she could bear, trying to pull herself closer to Lena’s body. Kara’s lips parted, and she felt Lena’s tongue press into her mouth, for a heart-stopping moment, before it retreated. Carefully, Lena broke the kiss, before easing Kara down against the pillows once more.

“What was that for?” Kara asked breathlessly, as she met Lena’s gaze. Lena had a dazed expression on her face, as if she were still feeling its effects, even after it ended. 

“Oh, that?” Lena laughed, “That was just because I wanted to kiss you.”

"Is that so?" Kara asked her.

“Uh huh. I figured that if I was going to go to hell, I might as well do it thoroughly,” Lena told her.

“Lee-“

“No,” Lena interrupted, “No. Just listen to me for a moment, Kara. Please. It's important, and I really need to say it.”

“Okay,” Kara nodded, "I'm listening."

“It's just that I've been doing a lot of thinking today, and I’m… I’m done fighting this, Kara,” Lena told her. “I’m done feeling guilty for loving you. Because loving someone isn’t something that I think anyone should ever have to feel guilty for. I – I loved Lex, and I know you did too, but he’s not here anymore.” 

“No,” Kara swallowed, “He’s not.”

"And there are a million reasons why I could deny myself this happiness, but I – I really want to give this a try,” Lena told her. “I know that you and I have gotten really good at driving eachother up a wall, but I love you, Kara. I love you, and I want this.”

“Then let’s give it a try,” Kara silenced her with a finger to her lips.

“You mean that?” Lena asked her.

“Of course,” Kara responded. “Look, Lena, the world as we knew it ended a long time ago, but we’re still here and I think – I think that after everything we’ve been through together, we deserve to be happy. You could make me so happy, Lena.”

“How do you know that?” Lena questioned.

“Because you already do,” Kara laughed. “We may fight a lot, but you also make me laugh harder than anyone else I know. And as far as I'm concerned, you are what makes this life worth living.” Kara sighed. “I love you, Lena.” 

“I love you too, Kara," Lena laughed back, "I'm going to kiss you again, if that's okay?"

"It's more than okay," Kara breathed, before Lena pulled her into another searing kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> Just in case all of you are wondering (though, i'm pretty sure it's fairly obvious) I based Lena's character off of Apollo. That's one of the reasons she probably seems out of character. I thought it was a nice change of pace, but I love SG's version of Lena so freaking much. If I'm being completely honest, I had a hard time writing her out of character.
> 
> If you have a moment, please take some time and give me some feedback. That's the only way I'm gonna know if this was absolutely terrible. (And I sort of need to know if it was terrible, so I don't do something this idiotic in the future...)
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading! (Even if you thought it was completely awful). The love and support still means a lot to me!


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